deceive themselves in the particular They think they serve God and they love God or else they were not worthy to live they think they say their Prayers every day and that they are thankfull unto him they never eate their meat but they say Grace they never recover out of siâ—knesse but they blesse God Whereas if we should deale with these men in particular it would appear they are haters of God they are gracelesse and unthankfull wretches they never prayed true Prayer to God in all their lives hence it is that people generally like a generall Minister Why they can goe along with such a man and be heart-whole But now if a particular Minister should come and tell them they are worldly and mockers of God and all goodnesse as they are in very good deed they cannot abide him they would say wherein Such were the Jewes under the overly Ministery of the Priests When Malachy dealt particularly with them saith hee Yee have despised the name of the Lord Wherin say they Mal. 1. 6. Yee have wearied the Lord with your words Wherein say they have wee wearied him Mal. 2. 17. Yee have robbed God Wherein have wee robbed him say they Mal. 3. 8. Your words have been stout against the Lord yet their answer was Wherein have wee spoken so much against the Lord Mal. 3. 13. Alas alas their Priests had taught them onely in generall and therefore when the Prophet was to deale particularly with them and told them what vile courses they took they cryed wherein and whereof and why doe you say so of us hee was forced to come to particulars Otherwise they would have gone away and blessed themselves Fifthly Generall Preaching lets people see their sinnes if they will But beloved this will doe no good if wee let you see your sins if you will wee must make you see your sinnes Son of man cause Jerusalem to know her abominations Ezek. 16. 2. Wee must not onely let you understand if yee will it is said of the good Priests that they caused the people to understand Neh. 8. 8. Naturally people love their own selves and their lusts and they will not see them till they needs must they doe not love to bee precise they will not willingly yeeld that they must bee so strict and so mortified as the Lord Jesus will have them if they mean to bee saved and therefore if they can put it off they will shew them there is a difference between people and people some are the people of God and some are the children of the devill some are the redeemed of Christ and some have nothing to doe with Christ some are clean and some are unclean though wee show them the difference between these two they will shut their eies if they can Generall preaching does no more it shews them these things But may be neither the Minister nor they will see for all that now wee must cause them to discern whether they wil or no if we can They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane cause them to discerne between the uncleane the clean Ezek. 44. 23. that is tell them this is unclean and this is clean such and such persons are prophane and such are holy Hold it before their eyes cause them to discern this is the way to quicken mens hearts Now Generall preaching does not doe thus It onely puts the truth before men that they may see if they will but if they will not it does not urge them this deads our people and does them no good for people will not bee awakened as long as they can shift it Sixthly Generall Preaching is a-loft and a-loofe off particular preaching is the most close and the most plain and the most sensible preaching of all if any Preaching will sink into peoples heads this will it makes the truth even sensible after a sort as King James said of a Reverend Bishop of this Land that is now dead and gone This man saith hee Preaches as if death were at my back So a presse Preacher preaches as if death were at a mans back as if judgement and hell were at a mans back hee brings the point home to the soules door 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Generalls are not plain Ignorant people are most led by sense People may live seven yeers under a generall Teacher and bee never the nearer such a Ministery breeds onely swimming knowledge it does not lay the Truth at every mans doore may bee they get knowledge but their knowledge does them little good it is said of the good Levites that they taught the people the good knowledge of the Lord 2 Chron. 30. 22. That is such a knowledge of the Lord as made the people good they laid the Truth at every mans doore they preacht to the people as if 〈…〉 were at their backs They did livelily teach them 〈…〉 informe them this did them good Generall preaching is like an Arrow shot at rovers that does not hit the mark as if the Minister would lay his Sermon on his Cushion and never dart it into his peoples bosomes Alas Brethren if people doe not feele our points at their backs and like speares in their sides and swords in their bellies they will feele nothing it is naked preaching when wee make mens estates even visible before their eyes when wee preach so of Gods wrath as if they saw it when wee so set out Christ as if hee were palpable to mens senses this quickens and no other as Paul saith O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that yee should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth and crucified among you Gal. 3. 1. Mark how sensibly hee had preached Christ to them even as if hee had held him before their eies and therfore hee saith they were even bewitcht that they could not see them q. d. how is it possible that yee should not see him that yee should not obey the truth where it hath been so sensibly preached unto you and painted to the life even before your very eyes If any Preaching will quicken this will and therefore Generall Preaching that will not doe the deed Seventhly Generall Preaching is against the nature of Preaching for wherefore is preaching but to take the word of God and apply it unto people in particular it is called the dividing of the word of truth aright 2 Tim. 2. 15. When the Minister is a good carver to divide to every man his portion Conviction to the ignorant reproofe to the offender terrour to the obstinate comfort to the broken heart judgement to the wicked mercy to the Saints and true penitent soules Then the Minister applies it unto every man Preachers are Gods Harvest-men as our Saviour Christ saith Pray yee the Lord of the Harvest that hee would send forth labourers 〈◊〉 his Harvest Matth. 9. 38. Now Harvest-men what 〈…〉 Doe they onely bring a sithe or a sickle into the
that it makes a man to doe his freely to accuse himselfe The just man first accuseth himselfe Prov. 18. 17. So it is in the Greek and the Latin Hast thou such a Conscience as this this is a lively Conscience when thy Conscience does not onely doe its duty to accuse thee for every sinne that thou dost but it makes thee to doe thine freely to accuse thy selfe before God a wicked Conscience may accuse I but it does not mak the man to do his duty he does not freely accuse himselfe it is onely forced in him it is with Coaction and Compulsion But it s free in Gods Children when Daniel went to confesse his sinnes before God the Text says he set himself to do it I set my face unto the Lord God Dan. 9. 3. that is his Conscience did not onely doe its duty in this thing but it made him to doe his Thirdly when it does not onely Condemne one for sinne for so the wicked have condemning Consciences as the Apostles says if our heart condemne us 1 John 3 20. that is if we be wicked as Paul sayes Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Tit. 3. 11. that is he is a very wicked Creature so that a wicked mans Conscience does Condemne But I meane when the Conscience does not onely condemne one for sinne it does not onely doe its owne duty in this thing but it makes the man to doe his it makes him trample upon himselfe as a damned wretch in himselfe to save God a labour as the Apostles speakes if we would judge our selves we should not be judged 1 Cor. 11. 31. when Conscience makes a man freely to accept of damnation thou shalt accept of thy punishment then I will remember my Covenant Levit 26. 41. 42. when it makes thee lay thy Neck on the block Lord the worst place in hell is too good for me I have often told you a story in the acts and monuments of the Church when Edward the first one of the Kings of England was a hunting and one of the standers by had displeased him the King rid after him with a drawne sword for to stab him the man runne away for his life the King rid over hedge and ditch to overtake him and when the man saw he had no way to escape he fell downe and held up his throat to the King if it please your Majesty here is my throat The King melting towards him shewed him mercy So when Conscience makes thee say Lord here is my throat here is my soule if it please thee thou maist send Satan to take it and carry it to hell with him Thou hast no way to escape therefore offer thy selfe unto God may be thy Conscience does Condemne thee alas that is not it thy Conscience does not its duty with any life till it make thee doe thine doest thou freely Condemne thy selfe accept of thy punishment lay thy head on the block does thy soule lye groveling before God this is a live Conscience Fourthly when it does not onely pull a man a dayes from sinne and Iniquity so it may doe with the wicked and the ungodly they feele many pulles every day and may be their Conscience makes them leave many particular sinnes though that 's very rare as the times now be but when the Conscience pulles a man forth of every knowne sinne when it so does its duty in this kinde that it makes thee to doe thine when thou pullest thy selfe withall detestation and loathing out of pride out of security out of unbelief out of heardnesse of heart out of formality and all this is a lively Conscience as Iob sayes my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job 27. 6. that is as my heart does its duty towards me so it shall make me doe mine I will yeeld to mine owne Conscience in every thing whatsoever sinne it tels me off I will be sure to set my selfe against it it shall not lie heaving at me and I never stirre then it would reproach me but it shall never reproach me so long as I live These are the lively acts of Conscience about sinne The lively effects whereof are foure The first is a penitent shame that ever a man should sin against God when Conscience does thus as ye have heard then it produces this effect that the man is ashamed before God as the Apostle sayes what fruit have you of those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 21. people are apt to be ashamed before men Diodorus Cronus when Stilpo askt him a ridiculous question and he could not answer him he was so ashamed that he fell downe starke dead he thought it was such a disgrace to be nonplust But if Conscience were alive and did doe its duty indeed it would make us ashamed for our sinnes before God Ezra was ashamed before God for the sinnes of the people I blush sayes he to lift up mine eyes unto thee when a man is Ignorant of God in Jesus Christ this should be a shame I speake this to your shame 1 Cor. 15. 34. that is if there be any grace in your hearts certainely ye will be ashamed that ye should have no more knowledge of God I say when the Conscience is alive against sinne it makes a man ashamed before God It shewes him his nakednesse before heaven it propounds God before his eyes seeing all his uncleanenesse and so it makes him ashamed before him doest thou Count it a disgrace to doe evill a disgrace to offend God a confusion of face to doe iniquity though it be never so secret Canst thou not looke upon thy unworthy dealings with God but it makes thee ashamed in his sight this is the effect of a living Conscience Secondly another effect is penitent griefe and compunction of heart ye may see this effect in the new converts they were prickt in their hearts Act. 2. 37. when their Conscience began to be alive to smite them for their sinnes to accuse them and Condemne them it grieved them exceedingly it went to the quick it was like a Dagger in their heart it prickt them it made them mourn for all that they had done True a naturall Conscience produces griefe ther 's nere a wretch but if his Conscience be awakened to Check him and accuse him and condemne him it will make him to grieve for his sinnes But this is onely legall and surly Now when the Conscience is alive to doe its duty as to make the man to doe his now it makes him grieve out of love to God out of love to grace and goodnesse now he grieves because he hath broken those Commandements that he loves he loves to obey God O it is the unfeigned desire of his soule to obey him and therefore he grieves that he hath done the Contrary Thirdly another effect is penitent feare It makes a man afraid to sin against God againe as the Apostle
you that yee may bee saved I say Christ is anointed with him the Lord hath given him his Spirit in abundance hee hath enough spirit to infuse into all that lay hold upon him as John saith God hath not given the Spirit by measure unto him Joh. 3. 34. No hee hath the holy Spirit without measure hee hath all store of spirituall graces to afford to them that lack a Treasurie of all heavenly blessings to inrich all his poore distressed Members The Reasons of this Point why Christ onely hath the holy Spirit of God to give where hee will are three First Because there is none but hee that God is well-pleased in God is out with all the sonnes of men by reason of sin and wickednesse they are all hatefull unto him they are odious in his sight and the whole world cannot make him and them friends again that ever hee should give them grace and favour much lesse his holy Spirit There is none in whom God is well-pleased but in his Son This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased Father and Holy Ghost Both came and rested upon him saying This is the onely Hee in whom I am well-pleased Mat. 3. 16 17. q. d. If yee get him to bee your Advocate take him and come unto mee with him then I will bee friends with you hee may help you with reconciliation with mee hee may get mee to give you my holy Spirit I am well-pleased in him and in none but him This is one Reason so that Christ onely can put his holy Spirit into thy heart and so send thee to his Father As Paul put a loving mediating letter in Onesimus his pocket and so sent him to his Master then hee will bee well-pleased with thee when thou haste Christs Letter of commendation about thee then thou mayest goe to God from day to day and bee accepted with him None can doe this for thee but onely Christ hee onely can put a mediating Letter in thy hand hee onely can give thee the intercessions of his holy Spirit Thousands goe to God in mans duties from day to day and because they are without this Christ hath not given them his holy Spirit therefore they are not accepted God is not pleased with them they pray without his spirit they cry God mercy without his spirit they seek to enter in without his spirit and so they are not admitted Now when a soule comes to Christ God is well-pleased with Christ and therefore Christ can give him this love-token Christ can give him the holy Spirit and so hee shall bee admitted into favour with God God is well-pleased in him As Pharaoh was in Joseph and therefore Joseph could present his Brethren unto Pharaoh Gen. 47. 2. If any bodie else had presented them they should never have found favour but Joseph could put acceptance upon them Pharaoh was well pleased in him So God is well pleased in his Son and therefore he can doe it and none but He. Secondly Another Reason is Because the Holy Spirit of God will never enter into man more except Gods Justice be satisfied God is resolved he will not put up those indignities that men offer unto him except they bring with them one in whom his wrath is appeased As Saint John sayes The Lambe slaine hath seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God Rev. 5. 6. That is hee hath satisfied Gods Justice and therefore he hath the Holy Spirit of God so given the Holy Spirit of God will goe to those men that he hath satisfied Gods justice for I say the Holy Spirit of God will not goe to any man without satisfaction if any one will shew him satisfaction then the Spirit of God will say I will goe where you will have mee onely let mee have satisfaction Now Beloved Christ onely can say to the Holy Spirit come a-long with me to this man here 's a satisfaction unto Justice Therefore he only hath the Spirit at his dispencing And therefore if any man would have Gods Holy Spirit he must bring the Lambe Divine slaine with him to God Lord here I have the Lamb slaine and now let me see thy face now let mee have thy Spirit as David said to Abner bring me Michol or never thinke to see my face 2 Sam. 3. 13. q. d. never come to me except thou bring mee my Michol with thee The bringing of Michol with him this might helpe him to see the Kings face So Beloved when a man getteth the Lord Jesus Christ and brings him with him to God this may helpe him to Gods Holy Spirit Bring him along with thee and thou shalt see my face thou shalt have my holy Spirit Neither will God send thee his Holy Spirit neither will the Holy Spirit come to thee otherwise Christ onely hath him to give Have Christ and have him Thirdly another Reason is why Christ hath the Holy Spirit to give Because he is flesh of our flesh and Bone of our Bone and wee may goe to him hee is the fittest to have him to give because he being man aswell as wee wee may make bold to goe to him My Brethren wee are not able to goe to God for any thing much lesse for his Spirit wee are not able to looke upon him immediately as a man is not able to looke upon the Sun-Beames in their strength specially if hee have sore eyes But let him get a Scarfe or a Cypresse and now hee may Now the Sun-beames will shine upon him through the Cypresse and not hurt him The Scarfe is able to convey unto him the Sunne-beames without dazling of him So beloved Christ is able to convey the Holy Spirit of God into any man our sore Consciences may look up to God through him he moderates Gods looke hee can make us looke God in the face in a comfortable manner Now we may aske any thing of him even his Holy Spirit and he will give him as the Apostle sayes By him we have boldnesse Eph. 3. 12. O beloved they are great things that we need We have need of such great matters that when the Conscience is awakened it can have no hope to obtaine that God should pardon such vile wrecthes as we that he should accept of such poore services as ours that he should love such filthy ones as wee are that he should give us a Kingdome and his owne Holy Spirit to enliven us to establish our hearts to be an earnest of Heaven to us how can we hope he will give us such infinite mercies Now the Lord hath put all these Blessings into the hands of his Sonne Jesus Christ that is flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones Now we may boldly goe to him for them As Moses when his face shone Aaron was afraid to come neare him Exod. 34. 30. Therefore hee put a vaile over his face Now Aaron and others were able to come nigh him so before none were able to come to God for any thing
but now the Lord hath put a vaile of flesh upon himselfe by incarnating his owne Son now we may make bold The use of this is First Is it so that Christ hath the seven Spirits of God Then what hath he not He is an all sufficient Saviour He is Gods Steward God hath put all his goods into his hands No man can be assured of any thing that is good but by comming unto him All things are delivered to me of my Father Mat. 11. 27. That is I have all my fathers goods in my hand Favour Pardon Mercy Grace Comfort Heaven it selfe yea and his holy Spirit and all I have the distributing of them all He is the store-house whither all needy soules are to goe He is full of all manner of good things as John saies Of his fulnesse have we al received Joh. 1. 1â— Looke what grace any of the Saints have they have it all of him he is Gods Conduit-pipe the Lord opens himselfe only in him he is the tap he lets out Gods Blessings and Graces and Spirit like a sluce Hee is the Lord Treasurer of Heaven and Earth As Joseph in Egypt if any one would have Corne they must goe to Joseph for it if they came to Pharaoh but for a pecke or a gallon presently he sent them to Joseph so the Lord sends all that will have any drop of mercy to his Sonne if yee will not goe to my Sonne yee shall not have one drop yee shall dye in your sinnes This is my welbeloved Sonne sayes hee looke yee heare him hearken to him obey him be ruled by him bow down unto him doe as he bids you if ye anger him and will not stoop unto him if your hearts will not burst if your minds will not off from the world and other things and be wholly intent unto him if yee slight him and suffer vain things to draw away your affections and thoughts and meditations from him there is no redemption for you No Salvation but onely by beleeving in his name he hath all the seven Spirits of God no Spirit of Grace at all can be had but onely of him he was the Rocke that Moses must stand on that the glory of Gods goodnesse might passe before him Secondly Another use is hath Christ the seven Spirits of God then wee are without excuse if wee be without the Holy Spirit of God Christ hath him to give and yet how few will seeke him of Jesus Christ as Christ sayes Yee will not come unto me that yee might have life Joh. 5. 40. That is if yee would come unto me I would make your dead hearts to live I would quicken you to all goodnesse I would powre my Holy Spirit upon you But you will not come unto me for it This makes us without excuse That Christ hath the Spirit in him for all that have a minde to him and wee have no minde How few among you to this very day have gotten yet Gods Holy Spirit Yee pray but yee have not the spirit of supplieation to pray by to lift up your hearts to enliven your desires to be able to wrestle with God to any purpose no Spirit of grace stirring in you When ye come to the house of God ye heare Sermons but the Holy Ghost does not fall upon you to make them effectuall and mightie in operation to convert you to God to knocke off your base lusts yee are dead in all holy duties voide of all Heavenly graces dull to every good thing even as the Body without the spirit is dead Nay the Spirit of the world dwelleth in most men tying and glving them to the things here below and will not let them savor and rellish the things of Heaven Whereby they cannot cease from sinne nor work the works of God Rare is that man now-a-dayes that hath the Holy Spirit of God remaining in him in any measure nay if people were asked whether they have the Spirit of God yea or no their owne Conscience could answer No they have not they never felt any such Divine ghuest their earthlinesse and lumpishnesse of heart in all the ordinances of God their unaquaintednesse with God their unsettlednesse and nakednesse and blindnesse in all the wayes of peace plainely does declare it and yet they will not come unto Christ that they might have life he hath the seven Spirits of God and yet they cannot finde in their hearts to be instant and earnest with him when Pharaoh appointed Joseph to distribute corne to all comers Goe to Joseph sayes he Gen. 41. 55. the Text sayes all Countries came to Joseph for Corne because the famine was sore in all lands But God hath appointed his own Sonne to be a dispencer of the Spirit and there is a sore want of the spirit every where in all Townes and Parishes and yet hardly any will come in Certainely this is the condemnation that men intend their pleasure and their profits and every outward thing and never seeke to Jesus to have the Holy Spirit of God For First many of us have hard hearts that cannot melt at our owne sinnes nor the publike provocations whereby God is provoked nor the generall calamities of the Church our hearts are like a stone and wee are not affected nor can be affected no relenting at the Word no bleeding in any other good dutie nothing moves us the spirit could soften yea and take the stone away and Christ saies hee would give him unto us if we did desire him I will put a new Spirit within you and take the stony heart out of the flesh Ezek. 11. 19. Hee hath spirit enough in him to doe it and yet we will not sue to him but in a feigned manner and so a hard heart possesseth us still which marres all our familie-duties and all that wee doe in the publike assemblies nothing comes of all that wee doe If our foolish hearts would come downe to be fervent after Christ this might be be remedied He hath the seven Spirits of God for the nonce But a spirit of slumber bewitches us and and nothing can awaken us to this very day Never was there a more hard-hearted time never more hard-hearted Christians nummed and past feeling wishing indeed the things mought be mended but never putting forth our hand to have them mended Secondly scarce any of us can pray but in a blunt-hearted-wise our prayers never stirre Heaven never give so much as a lift to any of our lusts neither are they any whit answerable to the miseries that are on us whether Personall or Nationall the spirit could helpe us and enlarge us as Paul saies of the good Romans Yee have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby yee cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. and Christ hath this Spirit in his hand to give But we would rather sit woulding and yawning then be downe on our knees before God Every one almost hath heavy things that he is consciencious of terrible guiltines horrible
shall be alive that seekes God Psal 69 32. that is you whose hearts are inclined to serve God your hearts are alive now when a man hath no divine inclinations to all heavenly duties and courses though he doe never so much professe the following of them he followes them with a dead heart Fourthly deadnesse of conscience when the conscience hath no force it may be it finds fault with such and such wayes but it hath no power over the man to make him to leave them perhaps it approves such and such holy performances yea but it hath no power over him to cause him to buckle to them indeed this is a dead conscience it hath no life at all in it when the conscience hath life in it once then it hath power it hath a mighty force over a man as the Church my soule made me like the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6. 12. that is my conscience was very forceable and powerfull in me it made me not onely to goe after God but it carryed me as it were in a Chariot very willingly But when the conscience can whisper onely and finde fault and hath no power at all with it to make one obey from day to day this is a dead conscience Fifthly deadnesse of affection when the affections are clumbzie and will not stirre towards God and all heavenly things when a man is like a block in good duties he hath no affections to them nor in them when the affections are all alive to earthly things when they are still out of order as the Apostle Paul sayes mortifie your inordinate affections Col. 3. 5. that is your affections must not be out of order if they be alive to other things ye must kill them that way that they may be alive towards all the things that are above now when the affections will not move that way at all then they are dead But I will speak no more of this well then let us come to the doctrine a dead Christian is even as good as no Christian at all goe through all Christianity and we shall see this to be true in every passage should a man have all Christianity in him and yet be dead and dull and without life it is even all one as if he had just nothing First for conversion should a man seeme to be converted O what a changed man is this he was a drunkard and now he is sober he was a whorer and now he is chaste he was a Prophane beast and now he is cleane another man this is well I but if thou beest dead to the wayes of God if thou beest not quickened up to them this is magnum nihil conversion is a quickning when we were dead in sinnes he hath quickened us together which Christ Eph. 2. 5. conversion is not onely a turning of a man from wicked wayes to good but to be quickened up in them conversion puts another life into a man a man may be converted from prophanesse to civility from not praying constantly to praying constantly from not hearing to hearing from not preaching to preaching from not professing to professing True this man shall have the lesse hell yea but this is nothing towards heaven except a new life be put into this man to be alive in all these good ways except he be quickened together with Christ Secondly faith should a man leane himselfe upon God and upon Christ should a man apply all the promises of the Gospell to his soule and beleeve all that 's contained in the covenant of grace alas what of all this if this man be dead still without such a faith as produces life it is little better then nothing as Christ sayes He that lives and beleeves in me Joh. 11. 26. true faith carries life with it wheresoever it is and therefore if a mans faith be without life it is but equivocall faith faith it may well be But true faith it cannot be for if thou wouldst be able to say thou beleevest in Jesus Christ thou must be able to say that thou livest too in him it 's impossible a man should rightly beleeve in Christ and be dead â—o he lives that beleeves in me sayes Christ Thirdly as ye heard heretofore to be a member of the visible Church of God to be a stone in Gods building were a man the finest and the most carved stone of all put in by Baptisme kept in by profession of the Christian faith this is a poor thing if this man now be not a lively stone ye also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house a holy Priest-hood c. 1 Pet. 2. 5. The right stone in Gods spirituall house are all lively stones if thou beest but a logge a heartlesse dull dead member thou art none of Gods spirituall house house no part of his holy Priest-hood thou art no more a Christian then a dead man is a man Thou art but a sit roome thou hast nothing but a name of a true Christian The body of Christ is all full of life derived from him the head all the branches that are in him have the life of the root in them if thou beest but a dead branch thou hast no communion with Christ at all though thou beest in the body Fourthly for hope it may be thou hast hope that thou art a good Christian that thou hast a part in the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ thou hast a hope of the heavenly inheritance that thou shalt be saved in that day now if thy hope be a dead hope if it doe not quicken thee up to trample on the world to beat down thy worldly lusts to scrue thee up to a gratious life more and more to carry thee on through thick and thin this is not a gratious hope no no the grace of hope is a lively hope as the Apostle speakes Blessed be God father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe to a lively hope 1 Pet. 1. 3. this grace of hope it quickens up all them that have it it is not a dead hope that lyes sluggishly and blockishly in the soule and does not stirre it up every day no it revives him towards God it makes him eager after the best things if thy hope be a dead hope that lies like a carcase in thy heart to little or no purpose it is no good hope through grace but a hope in a dreame Fifthly for repentance what ever thou hast to say for repentance canst thou plead a 1000 changes and reformations yet if thou hast not gotten out of a dead temper thou art yet under an impenitent heart That repentance that is the gate of heaven the Evangelist cals it repentance unto life Act. 11. 18. true repentance it rends the heart it shewes sinne to be the greatest evill and it rowzes a man up daily to take heed of it it makes us see what a God we have dishonoured
give you an acquittance when ye pay in onely wash duties clipt obedience if ye served God with life conscience would give you an acquittance when ye have prayed it would give you an acquittance when ye have done a dayes worke in his harvest it would acknowledge the receipt of it well done good and faithfull servant it is well done in some measure This made Paul full of life every day Herein doe I exercise my selfe to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Act. 24. 16. that is I doe not onely goe on in good duties both towards God and towards men but this I doe always I do even exercise my selfe that I may have an acquittance from mine owne conscience when I have done that my conscience may give me a true discharge well done I have done well in some measure now as long as we are dead-hearted and hollow in Gods wayes our conscience can never give us a discharge no marvell that so few of us have Peace of conscience when we are so dead-hearted as we are if we would stirre up our selves to serve God with all heart and life we should have Peace but till this will be once we can never looke to have Peace and comfort Fourthly Though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet we cannot have comfort in affliction if we be of a dead heart how many are there that seeme to have comfort while they are well but when they come to be sick and at deaths doore then they are all to peeces then they see they have no grace no faith no good cards to shew then they are stript stark naked then their conscience sees what they are O I am a wretch how have I deceived my self so beloved though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet if we be dead-hearted we can have no comfort in affliction As David sayes this is my comfort in affliction thy word hath quickened me Psal 119. 50. when the word of God hath quickened our hearts and made us lively in all manner of goodnesse this will yeeld us comfort in affliction But if we be dead to all spirituall wayes though we scramble up hopes now they will not hold when affliction comes now what a fearefull thing is 't we shall all come to affliction ere long for man is borne to trouble as the sparks that fly upward as Job speakes nay we know not how soone man knoweth not his time as Solomon speakes but as the Fishes are caught in an evill Net so are the Sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly on them And God onely knowes what sore afflictions we may have the Cup of affliction is in Gods hand and he tempers it and powres it out as his pleasure is I say what a fearfull thing is it not to have comfort then then we have most need of comfort and if we have not comfort then we are utterly undone now my brethren it is not a dead dull profession will yeeld us comfort then Let us thinke of this as God sayes What will ye doe in your day of visitation to Whom will ye flye for helpe then Isa 10. 3. so may I say though ye can be quiet and comfortable enough now in the dayes of health and peace your deadnesse does not trouble you now but what will ye doe in the dayes of visitation doe but consider what a sorry comfort ye shall have then assuredly a dead heart will assord not a syllable of true comfort then Fifthly we can never blesse God with a dead heart a dead heart is not able to affirme upon any good ground that God is his or that the promise is his or that Christ is his the soule knowes Christ is a quickening spirit and they that have him are quickened up by him the promise is a promise of life and they cannot be dead that are the possessors of it we cannot blesse God either for love or mercy or grace or any thing else when we would blesse God for any of these things the deadnesse of heart it will be objected to us O I am so dead that how can I hope that these things belong unto me Let my soule live and it shall praise thee Psal 119. 175. when the soule is alive towards God then it can praise God then it knowes all the good it hath it hath it in mercy doubting and deadnesse doe ever goe together or it 's a great marvell And indeed what is deadnesse of heart towards Christ and all his holy Gospell but a secret doubting whether it have any part in it or no as when a poore man sees a rich treasure it does but dead him the more because he sees no interest he hath in it if he could see he had an interest in it this would quicken up his heart and put it out of it's dumps And is not this now a miserable condition when a man cannot praise God if he pray it is but in a sorry manner no life no heart at all But for blessing and praising of God that he cannot doe at all except he be in a fooles paradise and dreame of a false gift This is a dreadfull condition when we are hindred from that which God most delighteth in what is there that more delighteth God then to blesse him and praise him The Lord sayes we never honour him otherwise who so offereth me praise he glorifieth me Psal 50. 23. now we can never offer God praise except our heart live Sixthly Religion is a very irksome thing unto us as long as we are dead-hearted what is it that takes away the grievousnesse of it but a lively heart when the heart is dead it must needs be very tedious very tedious to be thinking of God to be meditating of death or the world to come to be imployed in prayer to be constant in the humbling of the soule or the abstaining from our naturall inclinations to be discoursing of repentance or studying of Gods heavenly Kingdome to be imployed in the word or to goe through dirty and frozen wayes to it to goe and repeate it in our Families or to urge it upon our hearts O what weary tedious duties are these when the heart is a dead heart This is the reason why the world lets them all generally alone and never troubles their hearts with them at all because they have no life in them and many that are better minded fend them very tedious because they are dead-hearted as Solomon sayes correction is grievous to him that forsaketh the way Prov. 15. 10. now as long as we are out of the way of life while we are dead-hearted we forsake the right way and therefore correction is grievous unto us nay all the commandements of God are grievous unto us does a dead heart rejoyce to goe to Prayer nay generally he is loth to goe to it is he glad that the Sermon Bell rings is he glad at an opportunity
a live memory when a mans practicall memory is towards God and his wayes Now when a man is made againe to remember God and all his holy wayes now his memory must needs be made practicall Thirdly because this is the onely memory that represents things lively to the soule I say when a man is made in some measure apt and inclined to remember God then and onely then does his memory represent God and his wayes lively to him ye know reason sayes the life of the memory must needs be in this that it represents things lively and powerfully unto us when it does not onely shew us what we doe remember but it shewes it to the life when it shewes it dully and bluntly and obscurely that 's with a kinde of forgetfulnesse then a man remembers it to the full when a man remembers to the utmost of what he once knew so that if a mans memory be alive it must remember to the full in a perfect manner as David sayes I have remembred thy name O Lord in the night and have kept thy Law Psal 119. 55. that is I remembred it and remembred it to the full I represented it powerfully to my selfe so that I made my selfe to keep thy Law by it I affected my owne heart by what I did remember as the Church sayes my Ieule hath them sâ—â—ll in remembrance is humbled within me Lam. 3. 20. well then ye see that a lively memory is it that represents things lively to a man now when a man is made againe to remember God and his wayes then and never till then does he represent God lively to himselfe Those that have not this aptnesse wrought in them may be they remember God now and then and the duties now and then but they never remember them in a lively perfect manner The use of this is first if this be the onely lively memory to be apt to remember God then let us labour to get this same aptnesse into our mindes to remember God in all our wayes Let us consider First because without this memory all mens other cryes are nothing Israel had a memory to remember God they remembred that God was their Rock and at the high God was their redeemer Psal 78. 35. but that remembrance was nothing So that if we be not thus mindfull of God we are yet in our sinnes as God tells Iudah Because thou hast forgotten me and cast me behinde thy back therefore be are thou thy lewdnesse Ezek. 23. 35. if a man were once pulled out of his sinnes if he once had that true conviction and godly sorrow and reformation and faith and amendment of life that is in being converted the soule would have the lively remembrance of it still to make him goe on as he hath begun and therefore if we have not this blessed remembrance yet in us it is most plaine we are yet in our sinnes Thirdly thy heart can never retaine Gods commandements without this same memory as Solomon sayes My Sonne forget not my Law but let thy heart keepe my Commandements Prov. 3. 1. Fourthy The want of this remembring of God is the cause of all sinne Moses speaking of all the sinnes of Israel sayes he they have forgotten the God that formed them Deut. 32. 18. so againe in another place they have perverted their way they have forgotten the Lord Jer. 3. 21. so againe it is said in the Booke of the Judges the Children of Israel did evill in the sight of the Lord and forgot him Judg. 3. 7. Fourthly the want of this memory is the high way to destruction the Lord will destroy them that forget him that doe not remember to feare him that doe not presse it upon their minds still to regard him the Lord will in the end destroy all such people as he sayes Israel hath forgotten his maker therefore I will kindle afire that shall devour them Hos 8. 14. Beloved how doe we looke that God should remembers us if we will forget him I will utterly forget you Jer. 23. 39. Secondly another use is to shew you how ye may get alive memory There be seven causes of it The first is a true knowledge of God I told you remembrance is most properly in the understanding now looke how a man understands God so he does remember if a man know God onely literally he remembers him no otherwise but if a man know God aright then he remembers him aright The understanding can keepe no other species then it hath if it have a saving knowledge of God then it hath saving species of God no man can have other money in his purse then he puts into his purse If he would have Gold in his purse he must put Gold into his purse so if we would remember God aright let us labour to get a right knowledge of him I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayst remember c. Ezek. 16. 62. 63. Secondly a new and a true heart mens memories ever follow the nature of their hearts they ever will remember that their memory is set to let a man be proud he will ever remember his respect let him doe any thing that seemes to deserve praise he will ever remember to jet himselfe let him be at any time disparaged he will ever remember to be very much stirred so let a man be covetous he will ever remember his profit he will remember never to goe against his profit if he can otherwise choose what ever he forgets he will not forget that so let a man be Bookish let a mans lusts be to have learning he will be sure to remember that now if a mans heart be set truly towards God this will draw his minde towards God now he will remember to please God to have his heart in a sweet frame if he sinde any distemper in his heart he will remember to remove that if he can possibly when the heart is upright it runnes thus we will remember thy love more then wine the upright love thee Cant. 1. 4. so that if we would remember God with this alive memory we must get an upright heart Thirdly a cleare and a distinct estate before God as long as a man is confused in his conscience he knowes not what to make of himselfe this breakes the neck of true memory methodus est mater memoriae distinctnesse is the mother of memory as we say Let a man be confused in his notions this spoileth all memory so it is here as long as we are confused in our consciences we know not where we are we cannot remember God we know not what to call to minde his justice or his mercy his promises or his threatnings as David when he was to seeke at one time he could not remember God to any purpose I remembred God and was troubled sayes he Psal 77. 3. He was troubled horribly in remembring of